Scottish Space School – Applications Opening!

Scottish Space School 2025

University of Strathclyde

9 – 13 June 2025

Applications Open Monday 17 February 2025

The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Strathclyde is delighted to be offering the Scottish Space School programme again in 2025. The programme will run at the University from Monday 9 – Friday 13 June 2025.

This is a fantastic opportunity for S5 pupils who are keen to move into a STEM pathway and are studying maths and/or the physical sciences at Higher level.

There are 100 places available on the week-long programme this year at which attendees will hear from staff at the University of Strathclyde who will provide an insight into studying and working in the field of engineering, as well as hearing from some of the world’s leading figures in space travel, including NASA Astronauts and engineers. Participants will also take part in a group project which they will present to a selection panel made up of staff from the University and NASA on the final day.

At the end of the programme in June, 8 lucky pupils will be selected to travel to Houston, USA in October 2025 to complete the ‘Learning Journey to NASA’ trip.

There is no cost associated with attending the programme in June, or the trip to Houston in October.

Further information is available on the Space School website here:

https://www.strath.ac.uk/engineering/scottishspaceschool/.

All pupils who are interested in attending must apply using the online form which can be accessed using the link above. The deadline to apply Monday 17 March 2025 and decisions will be sent to all applicants by Tuesday 22 April 2025.

In the application form, pupils are asked to supply the name and contact details for a teacher who can provide a statement in support of their application. If you are interested, please speak to your Pastoral Care teacher or another teacher who knows you well. If you want to find out a bit more about Space School, please speak to Mrs Thyne.

 

S3 Boy’s Football Cup Victory

The S3 Boy’s Football Team secured a place in the Quarter Finals of the Glasgow Cup after a dominant 9-0 win vs Govan High School.

Goals from:

  • Josh Irvine (S3, Skye),
  • Sam Perry (S3, Lewis),
  • Jamie Black (S3, Skye),
  • Rocco Black Ferguson (S3, Arran),
  • Pieters Mayavo (S3, Lewis),
  • Colin Winkler (S3, Skye),
  • Brayden Burns (S3, Skye) and
  • Alfie Gracie (S3, Mull).

Some excellent performances on the day, however Man of the Match goes to TJ Black (S3, Lewis) for guiding the team to a well deserved clean sheet. 

We await our next opponents with plenty of optimism and wish the boys well as they progress to the next round.

S1 Southside Modern Studies Quiz

On Wednesday this week, our S1 team of Elias MacLean (S1, Skye), Joseph Reilly (S1, Skye) and Jade Bonner (S1, Skye) came second to Holyrood Secondary in the annual Southside quiz.

Pipped by a point, this team showed some really good knowledge to compete after losing a colleague who was not able to attend.

Well done and congratulations to Holyrood who have the privilege of hosting the tournament next year.

Check out all our pictures and news @kingsparkhumanities on Instagram.

School Values Logo Competition

Remember, the deadline to enter our School Values Logo Competition is the end of the school day tomorrow!

The logo must feature each of our school values – Kindness, Ambition, Respect and Equality. It should be bright, bold and easy to understand as it will represent our School Community.

Entries can be digital or hand rendered (drawn or painted).

Entries should be put into the Big Blue Box in Miss Joice’s room – (Rm 312, pictured below). Digital entries should be emailed to Miss Joice at gw24joicekatie@glow.sch.uk with your full name and class. The top entries will be selected by a committee following the February Weekend.

Thank you for your ideas!

 

Senior Art & Design Skills Workshops

Miss Joice’s senior class had a very productive double period today experimenting with ink and dying techniques as part of their second National 4 & 5 Skills Workshop for their Design portfolio.

They’ll use these inked papers to cover their white models, which will then become the final piece of their Design folio.

Have a look through our gallery to see some examples of their inking and their incredible white models.

Fantastic work everyone, exciting things are happening!

Calendar 2024 – 2025 Update

Please find the updated calendar here given the change of SQA exam start date.

School Calendar

In the main, it affects the Senior Phase and their end of term celebrations.

03-Apr SP Awards Ceremony  (3-4:30)
23-Apr S6 Graduation with S4/5 Leavers Celebration 9:15am
24-Apr Study Leave Starts
25-Apr SQA Exams Commence

Baking Together

It was lovely to have some of our fabulous MCR mentors join with their mentees for a baking session yesterday.

Thanks to Mr Khan for organising and Mrs Walker and Miss Haines for sharing their wonderful jammie dodger recipes!

Great job Lucy Hewes (S4, Skye), Kaelyn Harris (S5, Mull), Phoenix Lickrish (S3, Lewis) and Ava!

Senior Volleyball

Congratulations to our Senior Boy’s Volleyball Team who have made it through to the the semi finals of the Glasgow Cup.

The team was made up of:

  • Kai Milliken (S6, Arran)
  • Blake Caldwell (S6, Lewis)
  • Ali Khan Jafari (S5, Lewis)
  • Matthew MacKinnon (S6, Lewis)
  • Nathan Perika (S5, Lewis)
  • Eilia Alimi (S5, Arran)
  • Brodie Harper (S6, Arran)
  • Luke Doran (S6, Lewis)

Exciting STEM Work Experience Opportunities for S5 Pupils

We are pleased to share an excellent opportunity for S5 students to gain hands-on experience in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) through the In2STEM 2025 Programme.

This free programme, run by In2scienceUK, offers:

  • In-person STEM work placements with leading professionals
  • Live online workshops and competitions
  • Skill-building opportunities to strengthen university and apprenticeship applications

Work placements are available in Glasgow and Edinburgh, including:

  • Climate Science & Sustainability – Glasgow Science Centre
  • Physical & Organic Chemistry – University of Glasgow
  • Physics & Astronomy – University of Edinburgh
  • Neuroscience & Stem Cells – UK Dementia Research Institute
  • Marine Biology & Ecology – National Museums Scotland

There are no grade requirements – students simply need to meet the eligibility criteria.

Application deadline: 3 March 2025

For further details, please speak with either Mrs A Thyne, Mr D Jack, Mr M O’Donnelly or Ms J MacLachlan.

You can also find out more on the In2STEM website.

This is a fantastic opportunity to gain valuable experience in STEM

STEM in Action: Students Gain Insight at Leidos Headquarters

Students participating in the 2024-25 Leidos Project had the exciting opportunity to visit the Leidos headquarters in Glasgow . They were warmly welcomed by their mentors and given an inside look at a day in the life of a Leidos employee.

Throughout the visit, students explored various career pathways, job roles, and project development while enjoying hot chocolate and friendly games of pool. The experience left them inspired and motivated to pursue a future in STEM, equipped with a clearer vision of how to achieve their goals.

Pupils involved in the Leido Project were:-

  • Lucia McCann (S1, Arran)
  • Hannah McMillan (S1, Arran)
  • Victor Ijaseun (S1, Mull)
  • Adam Haq (S1, Arran)
  • Christopher Jobling (S1, Arran)
  • Abu Bakar Javed (S1, Mull)

Sutton Trust Summer School

An exciting opportunity for all S5 pupils – the chance to take part in a university Summer School experience.

This summer school will take place at The University of Edinburgh and it is fully funded.

Read the letter and flyer to find out more and, if interested, apply before 6th March.

Please click on the letter to enlarge.

ECO-SCHOOLS GREEN FLAG!

We are delighted to share we have received our Eco-Schools Green Flag!

The work of the Eco group and Eco classes was commended in the report shared from ‘Keep Scotland Beautiful’. It was recognised that our garden space has been a brilliant venture and by monitoring levels of litter in regular litter picks we are contributing to a cleaner community. Here is a short snippet from the report:

“You have done a great job of involving your local community in your Eco-Schools activities. Your butterfly garden looks amazing and it’s great that this can be enjoyed by everyone in your school community. A big congratulations for all your hard work on your school garden!”

Thank you to those who have led on this wonderful achievement, especially Mr McCauley and the Eco Committee!

 

Celebrating Chinese New Year 2025

Our school has been embracing the spirit of Chinese New Year with a series of exciting activities and cultural experiences, giving pupils a deeper understanding of Chinese traditions.

Chinese New Year Event – Monday, 27th January

To mark the Year of the Snake, pupils collaborated with Ricefield Arts & Cultural Centre, Miss Grondin, and Miss Han, our Mandarin teacher, to celebrate Chinese New Year. Throughout the afternoon, pupils explored the Chinese Zodiac, focusing on the significance of the Snake in 2025. They also enjoyed hands-on cultural activities, including arts and crafts, as well as tasting traditional Chinese snacks.

S3 Modern Languages for Life and Work – Chinese Opera Experience

As part of their Modern Languages for Life and Work (MLLW) course, S3 pupils learnt about the vibrant art of Chinese Opera. With guidance from Miss Grondin, Miss Han, Miss Joice, and Mrs McGarvey, they created their own Chinese Opera masks, gaining insight into the rich symbolism and storytelling.

Trip to Hillhead High School – Friday, 17th January

Two of our pupils, Lucas Wright (3S2) and Louis Brennan (3L2), represented our school at Hillhead High School’s Chinese New Year celebrations. They had the opportunity to watch an impressive lion dance performance and were honoured to serve as judges for an S1 craft competition, where they evaluated the creative Chinese New Year-themed projects made by Hillhead pupils.

These activities have provided an enriching and immersive experience for our pupils, deepening their appreciation of Chinese culture. A huge thank you to everyone involved in making these events such a success!